The Meninga Cup, Connell Cup Harvey girls Speed Demons of 2025 named
The 70 Speed Demons of 2025: Meet the electrifying talents from the Meninga Cup, Connell Cup and Harvey Norman competitions who were lighting up the rugby league season.
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Here’s the speed demons of season 2025, the blink and you might miss it teenagers of Queensland rugby league’s elite junior representative competitions.
We all love it – seeing a speed merchant in full flight as he or she leaves scorch marks trailing behind them as they race off in search of the tryline.
TEAMS OF THE WEEK ROUND 3, HARVEY
TEAMS OF THE WEEK, ROUND 3 MENINGA
So who is the fastest player at your club? In this story we name the quickest of the quick from south to Tweed, west to the Darling Downs and north to Cairns and beyond.
MENINGA CUP SPEED DEMONS
Saxon Innes (Burleigh)
The Burleigh Bears rookie of the year award winner last year, Innes has returned to club footy with pace and precision to influence his team’s unbeaten start in the Meninga Cup.
Is he the fastest player in the competition? At Broncos’ training Innes was once recorded running 40m in just 4.63 seconds.
He has scored two tries and nabbed a few assists in the opening three rounds.
Saia Poese (Souths Logan)
Keebra Park State High student Saia Poese is blessed with speed off the mark.
He is a raw talent who would have benefited from last year’s experience playing club rugby league, GPS First XV rugby for Gregory Terrace and the Queensland City Under-17s.
The word nimble comes to mind.
Toby Woodall, Flynn Battaia and Harry Considine (Mackay Cutters)
This is press off the presses. Cutters head coach Andy Battaia recently organised 20m and 40m sprints and the top three players when it comes to sprints were outside backs Woodall, Battaia and Considine.
Woodall, a Brothers junior, is a wonderful finisher and one of the first to lead the kick chase.
The leg speed of towering centre Flynn Battaia is a bonus when taking dummyhalf runs out of the defensive end of the field.
The St Patrick’s College product can also score himself or set up his outside man, but those ruck runs mean so much to his forwards.
Considine, who hails from Mercy College and the Magpies, is an edge threat with his speed.
Ray Puru (Tweed)
A 100m race between fullback Puru and his backline teammates would be a grand contest but off the mark and over 20m Puru would be so hard to beat.
He is a little livewire, someone who is quick to inject himself and often creates tries with his footwork and variation of speed in tight spaces.
Watching him wind up from the back is exciting because more often than not you expect him to shed a tackle.
Sunny Kama (Tweed)
Kama is a steady eddy speedster. Only a few in the competition would be able to catch him at full speed and importantly, he is not a one trick pony.
Kama is a winger for all seasons and there’s little wonder the Titans had him training with their top squad over the summer. He is a young veteran who rarely makes mistakes.
Patrick Krause (Jets)
The Ipswich backline possesses plenty of pace in fullback Isaiah Pene, long striding winger Mel Nonu and Jakequan Roberts-Welsh.
The quickest of them all, over a short distance, would be right wing Pat Krause. He is a smaller body with light feet and once he is on the outside of a player it’s hard to imagine he’d be caught.
Ryder Koia (Tigers)
Brisbane Boys’ College past student Ryder Koia fits the speed demon mould. He has the power and strength to offset tackles and the speed to run them in on the right wing.
In a cracking match against Norths in round 1, Koia showed his wheels in a 55m special down the right touchline.
Nate Berrigan (Dolphins)
When you think speed, you think wingers, centres or fullbacks.
But at Redcliffe arguably the fastest player in its squad is utility Nate Berrigan.
A dynamic No. 13, Berrigan’s leg speed around the ruck generates tremendous momentum for his side and his presence adds an exciting dimension to the Dolphins’ premiership campaign.
Of course there is speed in the family. While dad Barry was a hooker at the Broncos and Canterbury, uncle Shaun Berrigan could motor when playing centre or in the halves at the Brisbane Broncos.
His presence in the back complimented the power-game of the Dolphins forwards pack, which features Zac Garton, Cody Starr and Jac Finigan.
Oliver Patterson (Wynnum Manly)
A Nudgee College premiership winner in GPS First XV rugby, Patterson can blast a game open with his speed.
You can’t coach the pace Patterson has and his presence gives Wynnum an x-factor finisher who can find the tryline in a hurry.
Braithen Scott (Wynnum Manly)
The Broncos signed halfback ace from St Mary’s College is a great organiser at No. 7, but he can run as well.
One of his best seasons in junior league came as a fullback in the 2023 Connell Cup season. Scott’s pace off the back of momentum triggers alarm bells in opposition defensive lines.
Jaycob Kingston-Francis (Wynnum Manly)
Originally an Alexandra Hills SHS product who played Langer Trophy for Mabel Park SHS, the reliable Jaycob Kingston-Francis has enough toe to be a nuisance.
Kingston-Francis is a great outlet for his playmakers because if he breaks through initial contact he is off and gone.
Kurt Jones (Devils)
Jones, one of the latest youngsters to sign a contract with the NRL Dolphins, is one of the fastest customers at the Devils Lair.
The likes of Adaquix-Jeramiah Watts-Luke, Tyrese Tavao and Keyarn Pene are all speedy but we suspect Jones is the quickest. He is a long-striding winger who loves to get aerial.
The towering Dolphins prospect is from the Wavell State High stable.
Evandah Bann (Blackhawks)
Blackhawks head coach Annan Whitington is yet to use Evandah Bann on match day but behind the scenes he has been showing his pace.
From tiny Forrest Beach, east of Ingham, he has been a Queensland track and field representative and a national surf life saving beach sprinter.
Nate Thompson (Falcons)
The high class outside back has express pace and importantly, he knows how to use it.
“Nate has a great understanding of his speed and agility, which makes him a handful and a threat every time he touches the ball,” Falcons coach Tim Baldwin concluded.
Adam Davis (Clydesdales)
The instant speed of Clydesdales fullback Adam Davis was apparent last year when he made an impression in Toowoomba Grammar’s First XV as a winger.
He has a demanding role as fullback this season and has done a very solid job so far for the Darling Downs team.
Whayllam Waia-Dau (Capras)
A natural speedster with a great turn of pace, Waia-Dau can also sustain his speed over a long distance. He takes the cake for Central Queensland’s quickest in the land.
Central Highlands junior, Clermont’s Banjo Walker, can also motor alongside the likes of Anasta Tamwoy, Willem Lloyd and Nate Potter.
But Waia-Dau has them covered.
Taakoi and Davidson Benioni (Pride)
Cairns locals from the Brothers club, both boys were back where they belong in the Far North after attending Kirwan SHS and playing for the Blackhawks in Connell Cup.
The bash brothers, whose dad Bobby who won five CDRL premierships for Brothers, can motor when they want to.
Teammates Kees Anderson, Riley Anu and Riley Wells were no slouches either.
CONNELL CUP
Kingston Seve (Burleigh)
A natural athlete, Seve glided across the field as a junior where his long stride carried him away from rivals.
He has since developed into a more powerful, dynamic athlete, all the while retaining his speed and sense for the tryline.
Winger Xhai Waerea, Cornelius Kelsall and Israel Lotaki can all motor as well, with Kelsall exciting over a short distance either at No. 1 or five-eight, and Lotaki a thrilling fullback or centre prospect.
All three boys were members of Keebra Park SHS’s 2024 Walters Cup premiership winning side.
Basil Coates (Tweed)
A long striding winger, Basil Coates resembles his older brother Xavier when he winds up.
Winger Xavier, now with the Melbourne Storm, was snapped up by the Broncos as a schoolboy from Marymount College, while his other brother, Philip, is Burleigh’s Meninga Cup centre also signed by Brisbane.
Coates most resembles Xavier with his finishing skills.
A friendly Christmas Day race or something of the sort would see Marymount youngster Basil challenge his older brothers all the way.
Dylan Terblanche (Tweed)
Terblanche hasn’t been used just yet in the Tweed side, but the TSS rugby fullback is learning quickly in his first season playing league.
A key player in the Queensland Reds Under-16s side last year, Terblanche is an exciting prospect who seems to maintain his speed while weaving through defensive traffic.
James Grey (Devils)
The Devils’ left edge has wheels indeed.
Over the years James Grey has had track and field running battles with his teammate, fellow centre Ethan Grimshaw, who were state and national 100m sprint medallists.
But the pacy Ipswich Grammar student is also a smart footballer whose quick thinking and instincts have seen him score plenty of tries for Ipswich Grammar, Norths and in rugby representing a Brisbane representative side at the Emerging Reds Cup.
Ethan Grimshaw (Devils)
Grimshaw is a well known athlete in rugby league and athletics circles and he has used his speed on more than one occasion this season for Norths.
A Nudgee College speedster, Grimshaw has run a 10.73 second 100m and in the 200m a cool 22.07s.
He is learning how to mix his speed into being a fine rugby league centre of wing in the Dolphins Academy.
Cooper Murray (Tigers)
Originally from the rich sporting plains of the Darling Downs, Murray is a Brisbane Boys’ College student who leads the charge at the GPS track and field championship each year.
His pace from fullback in the Tigers Connell side makes him a dangerous player. Hemi Rakuita is another who flashes out of the Tigers’ den with genuine speed.
Leo Fanuatanu, Kaiden Pope-Warcon and Kaelan Callaghan (all Capras)
Rapid right centre Leo Fanuatanu is robust, dynamic and direct. He has explosive speed.
An Emerald kid who has boarded at Rockhampton Grammar School, Fanuatanu is a go-to player on the edge, a tremendous enhancement to the Capras squad.
Almost matching him for short sprint speed is centre Kaelan Callaghan, while winger Kaiden Pope-Warcon is a speed demon.
Also mark down tall, long-striding winger Colin Leisha as a speed merchant. Earlier in the season he scored three tries in a match and must be marked at all costs.
Chevy Ryan, Jack Curtin and Cooper Brown (all Clydesdales)
Centre Chevy Ryan, winger Jack Curtin and fullback Cooper Brown were have No. 1 billing when it comes to the speed stakes on the Darling Downs.
A notable junior player for Valleys over the years, Ryan has speed but also a high work ethic which is welcomed in the squad.
Curtin is a gun utility with confident handling and a burst of speed, while Brown is a danger roaming at No. 1
Bailen Noy (Wynnum Manly)
Churchie schoolboy Bailen Noy has earned a reputation for his speed at the Seagulls nest this season. His pace was apparent at training but became known to the wider community when, at Kougari Oval, the left centre pulled off a stunning long distance try saving tackle.
It was an 80m special from Noy, who switched from attack to defence quickly to run down the opponent who had a slight head start.
Mark down Broncos recruit from Far North Queensland, Billo Wotton, and imposing centre Dean Tauaa as young men who can move when they want to.
Majah-Jose Peachey (Wynnum Manly)
The term speed demon isn’t just used to describe outside backs. Seagulls second rower Majah-Jose Peachey is one of the faster forwards in the competition.
The proof was in the pudding when he burnt an opposition fullback on the way to scoring a 50m try earlier this season. Five-eight Jordan Hotere had put him through a gap.
Peachey burst onto the scene during the 2023 Connell Cup after arriving from Perth, worked hard on his fitness last year and during the off-season and has hit the ground running in 2025.
and after a campaign in 2023.
Lachlan Brown, Calvin Ramos (Cutters)
From the picturesque district of Walkerton, in canefield country west of Mackay, Ramos brings genuine wheels to the table when he plays.
Both winger Romas and utility back Lachlan Brown, who also has plenty of toe, were Brothers Bulldogs talents who can play fullback. Although for the moment St Patrick’s College Year 11 Brown has the No. 1 jumper and Romas is recognised as a “very speedy winger’’.
Harrison Vidler (Jets)
From a wonderful old breeding ground of league talent called St Edmund’s College, outside back Vidler is a tough tackling rooster who can cover the ground quickly.
He has also caught the eye with his leadership qualities, representing the Jets and St Edmund’s in AIC First XV and First XIII.
Vita Filo (Souths Logan)
The Magpies fullback is a quicksilver performer who can question opposition defence with his speed.
He has been impressive for Souths Logan through three matches.
HARVEY NORMAN U19s SPEED DEMONS
Savannah Roberts-Hickling (Tweed Seagulls)
While Roberts-Hickling is a natural talent, she also has a willingness to learn and improve.
“These are fantastic attributes and make her very a coachable player,’’ said Tweed coach Anthony Swain who knows her well after coaching her in the U19 squad last season.
Roberts-Hickling, who is also a talented artist, was a member of the historic inaugural Australian Schoolgirls seven-a-side rugby team which played in New Zealand last year.
In every team she plays, Roberts-Hickling is among the quickest and hardest hitting.
Summer Barton (Tweed Seagulls)
While Savannah Roberts-Hickling captures the fastest player tag in the Tweed squad, don’t discount Summer Barton in a foot race.
She is no slouch and gets the job done each week playing from the wing.
Jennifer Kimber (Cutters)
Slippery representative fullback Jennifer Kimber being Mackay’s speed merchant would shock no one.
The athletic centre, now turned fullback, helped her side win last year’s U19 premiership with her ability to get around rivals and burn them with pace to the corner.
But what is most impressive about the former Moranbah East State School student is her ability to change direction at top speed.
Jennifer and Dianne Ladewig (Falcons)
The Ferrari twins from glorious Sunshine Beach are bringing the flaire to the Falcons nest.
Both girls have a fresh set of wheels and plenty of speed to burn. Their pure acceleration mixed with their electric footwork has made them very difficult to contain this season.
The pacy pair have also excelled in Rugby 7s,
Natalia Vaeau (Burleigh Bears)
From the footy rich Helensvale district, centre Natalia Vaeau broke her hand in round one but she had built up a reputation during the pre-season around her speed and toughness. “She has speed to burn and just wants to be on the park playing footy and having fun,’’ said coach Kenny Hargreaves. “When her footy knowledge develops she will be a dangerous weapon.’’
Bella Thompson ((Burleigh Bears)
A tremendous utility player who can play a high standard in any position across the backline, Thompson revels in the No. 1 jersey where she can pick her entries into the game through the middle or out wider.
Jaeda Morato (Northern Pride)
The 2024 Queensland country U17 halfback, young gun Morato has blinding acceleration which has also attracted the attention of Queensland Reds seven-a-side officials. A try scorer in yesterday’s round 4 fixture, Morato has built a strong foundation for the 2025 season after helping Cairns Wanderers to minor premiership success.
Fleur Ginn, Aaliyah Frescon-Sheppard and Sienna Abrahim (all Tigers)
Abrahim is the comeback queen of the squad. A multiskilled footballer across three codes and also an elite touch footballer, Abrahim injured her knee last season which ruled her out of 2024 competitions. But she is back in business this year, playing centre and has retained plenty of pace.
Ginn is fast – and strong – two attributes which have carried her through schoolgirl league and union with distinction. The Stretton State College is a constant danger from fullback.
Winger Frescon Sheppard comes to the club from sporting rich Logan City where her sporting skills made her an excellent schoolgirl netballer, including in the Ruby Series. But the Canterbury College product is impacting the Harvey Norman U17s with her speed.
Ashlyn Hoey (Blackhawks)
Hoey has an incredible turn of speed, that’s for sure. But she is more than just a speed merchant. The Blackheath & Thornburgh College product from Charters Towers was always among the fastest finishers at her school’s cross country events.
Madison Morris (Norths Devils)
A smooth operator, Morris has the squad members covered when it comes to pre-season sprints.
Tisha Neilson (Redcliffe)
Tisha Neilson (Redcliffe)
As Aspley Devils junior, Tshia Nielsen is the team’s No. 1 speedster. The young winger can finish, but also use her speed to skirt out of dummy half and pinch an extra metre or so.
HARVEY NORMAN U17s
Aamira Renouf (Falcons)
The Falcons fullback is an Australian Schoolgirls rugby 7s star that can jet away from opposition players or chase them down with ease.
A wonderful junior athlete across multiple sports, there wouldn’t be many in the competition that could match it with her although centre Tahlee Donald isn’t far behind.
Janique Mili and Lauryn Martin (Souths Logan)
Mili is a noted track and field sprint athlete and a Queensland schoolgirls rugby league representative who can ignite a team with her pace from fullback. She is built low to the ground which can be an advantage as it makes her a small target when she comes ducking, weaving and dashing down the middle of the field.
Martin is an Auckland person from Western Heights school whose leg speed has already carried her to an 80m try this season. She is a swift mover, that’s for sure.
Abby Callander (Mackay Cutters)
From cattle country, Callander is yet another prodigious rugby league prospect from the Moranbah region where she attended the local state high school. A young fullback, Callander brings genuine horsepower to the table every time she takes the field.
Matilda Richards, Harlem-Rae Henaway (Blackhawks)
Townsville Grammar School student Richards is a rugby convert who entered this season as the Townsville and District Rugby Union’s U17 player of the year.
A winger or fullback, the athletic Richards grew up running on the sand around Ayr Surf Life Saving club and has represented North Queensland in athletics.
Henaway is a genuine outside back utility who can play numerous positions. But no matter where she plays, her speed comes with her and as a result she is an extremely valuable member of the squad. She is a natural when she runs, but Henaway is not just a finisher – she has lovely hands as well.
Paige Adams (Wynnum Manly)
An under age player in the U17s, Adams is a touch football young gun who can really motor. The 16-year-old is a part of an expecting group of youth players being cultivated across the U17 and U19 competitions this season.
Hayley Wainwright, Sedeequa Nelson (both Clydesdales)
Fullback Wainwright and half Nelson were both dangerous ball runners who can beat the opposition with pace. Both were aged just 15 and will be even better players for the experience of playing U17s this season.
The Clydesdales is a side stacked with finishing power, with centre Caitlin Wiggins and No. 14 utility Carla Nobbs two other notable speedsters.
Sienna Hebei, Aydah Ross Kelly and Lealon Schreiber (Northern Pride)
Hebei is a winger from the Cairns Kangaroos junior club, Herbi is a Peninsula representative player.
Ross Kelly comes out of Kirwan SHS finishing school and is someone who can conjure up a brilliant individual try as she has done already this season. She is a clever half prepared to take the line on.
The Pride side was well off for pace – Lealon Schreiber is another squad member who can motor.
Charlize Duncan (Tigers)
The slightly built Duncan announced herself with a three try performance in a trial match against Norths leading up to the start of the season.
As a result she cemented a position on the left wing outside promising centre Leilani Taofinuu where her natural evasive skills have excited her teammates. Taofinuu also has explosive speed and strength when she goes to dummy half in defence or attack.
Jae Jae Wickliffe – and Isabella Brown (Burleigh Bears)
Bay of Plenty product Wickliffe has thrilling attacking threat with her blinding acceleration.
From picturesque Taupo in New Zealand’s North Island, Wickliffe has been a two-code junior star growing up, culminating in her representing the Kiwis in seven-a-side rugby.
She can also kick goals and in defence is prepared to dig her shoulder into a rival’s mid-drift and drive with her legs.
While Wickliffe is the Bears’s most explosive player, Palm Beach Currumbin SHS student Isabella Brown has her covered for sustained speed over a 100m.
Lilana Nati (Redcliffe)
Fullback Nati can crack a match open on her own with her acceleration and cruising speed. She is a graceful athlete, a Miss Natural type who covers the ground effortlessly. Around her pace, Nati is also tough and prepared to take a hit in the line when passing, and in defence she puts her body on the line. Basically she is one of the competition’s best players.
Lacey McLaren (Tweed Seagulls)
Originally a South Coast kid from NSW, McMclaren has grown up a hop, skip and a jump from Currumbin Creek and Palm Beach Currumbin SHS where she attends school now.
A young fullback, the younger sister to Marley McLaren beats the lot of them when he comes to Tweed Seagulls squad sprints.
The fullback and touch football representative is always sniffing around the middle of the field, eager to make the most of the momentum generated by her forwards.
While she is a flair player, McLaren does a lot of clean up play which is appreciated by her teammates.
Torah Luadaka (Tweed Seagulls)
Torah Luadaka can do everything else on the field – she may as well run fast as well. The gun halfback can outlast the cover defence on long distance runs, just as she did to score earlier in the season, while her stepped speed close to the line when she attacks can be lethal. She is a real fan favourite.
Charlotte McLean and Isabella Jensen (Capras)
Isabella Jensen and centre McLean add a dimension to the Capras’ game with their ability to use their pace both in attack, but also with snipping runs from the ruck when their side is coming out of the defence end of the field. McLean is a Rocky Tigers junior while Jensen is a 2023 Queensland schoolgirls representative who hails from the proud Central Highlights junior club in Emerald.
Originally published as The Meninga Cup, Connell Cup Harvey girls Speed Demons of 2025 named
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